Chap. 2. 



SETTLEMENT AND CONTROVERSIES. 



17 



FIRST SETTLEMENTS. 



FIRST TOWKSIIIPS GRANTED. 



on Connecticut river, where Haverhill 

 in New Hampsliire and Newbury in this 

 State now lie. In pursuance of this plan, 

 in tlie spring of the year 1752, the gov- 

 ernor of New Hampsliire ordered out a 

 party to explore the country, survey the 

 townships and erect stockades and lodg- 

 ment for 200 men in each. The object 

 was, partly to get possession of the rich 

 meadows at Coos, and partly to form a 

 barrier against the incursions of the St. 

 Francis Indians in case of war ; but the 

 timely remonstrance of that tribe caused 

 the immediate relinquishment of the un- 

 dertaking ; so much was their resentment 

 dreaded at that early period. 



Soon after the erection of fort Duiu- 

 mer, several block-houses were built for 

 the protection of the settlers in tliat part 

 of Hinsdale, N. H. which was situated on 

 the west side of the Connecticut, and 

 which is now called Vernon ; and before 

 tlie year 1754, settlements had been 

 commenced in Vermont as far up the 

 Connecticut as Westminister and Rock- 

 ingham. But their advancement was 

 now stopped by the breaking out of 

 what was called the French War, whicli 

 continued, as related in the preceding 

 cliapter, till the final conquest of Canada 

 in 1760. During this war these feeble 

 settlements were continually hiirras.sed 

 and annoyed by the French nnd Indians. 

 The inhabitants could not cultivate their 

 fields without being every moment ex- 

 posed to the deadly fire of a lurking foe. 

 Their block-houses were frequently sur- 

 prised and taken, and the inhabitants 

 either massacred, or carried into captivity. 

 No permanent settlement v.'as effected 

 in Vermont on the west side of the Green 

 Mountains, till after the conquest of 

 Canada by the English. When the 

 French proceeded up lake Champlaln and 

 erected their fortress at Crown Point, in 

 171^1, they began a settlement on the east 

 side of the lake in the present township of 

 Addison. This settlement was, however, 

 broken up and all the settlers retired, 

 with the French garrison, into Canada, 

 before Gen. Amherst in 1750. 



Such was the original condition of 

 Vermont, and such were the establish- 

 ments made within its limits previous to 

 the year 17G0. No permanent settlements 

 had been made, at the close of this period, 

 except upon the banks of Connecticat 

 river, in the present county of Windham, 

 and here the settlers were few and scat- 

 tered, probably not amountino; iu the 

 whole to more than two or three liundrtHl. 

 But in their expeditions against tiie 

 French, the English colonist:^, had made 

 themselves acc^uainted witJi Uk; ferfilily 



Pt. If. 3 



and value of the lands lying between 

 Connecticut river and lake Champlain, 

 and the conquest of Canada having now 

 removed tlie difficulty and danger of 

 settling them, swarms of adventurers be- 

 gan to immigrate hither, and from the year 

 1760, the population of Vermont began 

 to increase with considerable rapidity. 



Section II. 



Controversy heticccn Kcw Hampshire and 

 Keio York, respecting the territory of 

 Vermont— from 1749 to 1764. 



When the English commenced their 

 establishment at fort Dummer, that fort 

 was supposed to lie within the limits of 

 Massachusetts, and the settlements in 

 that vicinity were first made under grants 

 from that provincial government. But 

 after a long and tedious controversy be- 

 between Massachusetts and New Hamp- 

 shire respecting their division line. King 

 George II. finally decreed, on the 5th of 

 March, 1740, that the northern boundary 

 of the province of Massachusetts be a 

 similar curve line, pursuing the course of 

 the Merrimac river, at three miles distant 

 on the north side thereof, beginning at 

 the Atlantic ocean, and ending at a point 

 due north of Patucket falls ; and a straio-ht 

 line drawn from thence due west until it 

 meets his Majesty's other goverimients. 



This line was surveyed b>' Riciiard Ha- 

 zen, in 1741, when fort Dummer was 

 found to lie beyond the limits of Massa- 

 chusetts to the north ; and, as the king «>f 

 Great Britain repeatedly recommended to 

 the assembly of New Hampshire to make 

 provision for its support, it was generally 

 supposed to have fallen within the juris- 

 diction of that province, and, being situa- 

 ted on the west .side of the Connecticut, 

 it was supposed tliat New Hampshire ex- 

 tended as far westward as Massaclmsetts ; 

 that is, to a line twenty miles east of 

 Hudson river. 



In the year 1741, Benning Wentworth 

 was commissioned governor of the prov- 

 ince of New Hampshire. On the 3d of 

 January, 1749, he made a grant of a 

 township of land six miles s(juare, situa- 

 ted, as he conceived, on the western bor- 

 der of New Hampshire, being twenty 

 miles east of the Hudson, and six miles 

 north of Massachusetts line. This town- 

 ship, in allusion to his own name, he 

 called Bennington. About the same time, 

 a correspondence was opened between 

 him and the governor of the province of 

 New York, in which were urged their re- 

 spective titles to th.e lands on the west 



